Panda-monium as pandas invade London Underground

A group of giant pandas caused a stir on the London Underground network this week after taking a ride on the Tube.

Keep right: Panda bears let loose in London (Picture: PA)

The cuddly creatures, performers dressed in costumes, clambered into Charing Cross Tube Station before shuffling along to Trafalgar Square on Wednesday.

The costumed pandas performed a tai-chi inspired dance in the square before attending a Panda Party in nearby Covent Garden.

Promoting Panda Awareness Week, the 108 ‘pandas’ represented the number of bears currently living at the Chengdu Panda Base, in China.

Panda Awareness Week is part of a bid to raise awareness about the plight of the giant panda, one of the world’s most threatened species.

Costumed pandas on the platform at Charing Cross (Picture: PA)

The costumed pandas will also be accompanying wildlife presenter Nigel Marven, an ambassador for the campaign, on educational visits to schools across the capital throughout the week.

‘Our ultimate goal is to help the pandas return to their natural habitat and to increase the number of giant pandas living in the wild,’ Marven explained.

‘We hope that Panda Awareness Week can help us gain more support for panda conservation and find new advocates for this very special cause.

‘I am confident that all the great work taking place during PAW will highlight the fantastic efforts of Chengdu city, especially the Panda Base, and will, in turn, help raise awareness for one of the world’s most threatened species, the giant panda.’